NFL Roundup: Suh draws $100,000 fine but no suspension

The Sports Xchange

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The SportsXchange•September 10, 2013

The NFL fined Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh $100,000 but avoided a suspension for diving at Minnesota Vikings center John Sullivan's knees during an interception return by Lions teammate DeAndre Levy in Sunday's 34-24 victory over the Vikings. NFL vice president of football operations Merton Hanks informed Suh of the news on Tuesday. The fine comes from violating Rule 12, Section 2, Article 5 (a), which prohibits blocks below the waist after a change of possession. The block, which cost Suh a 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct, was well behind the play and nullified what would have been a defensive touchdown. Sullivan, who underwent microfracture surgery on his knees during the offseason, was not injured on the play.

---Running back Brandon Jacobs re-signed with the New York Giants on a one-year deal. The team brought in three veterans -- Jacobs, Willis McGahee and Joe McKnight --- for workouts Tuesday and opted to bring Jacobs, 31, back into the fold to help struggling second-year back David Wilson. He was with the Giants from 2005 to 2011 and rushed for 4,849 yards and 56 touchdowns. Wilson was benched after fumbling twice in Sunday night's season-opening loss at the Dallas Cowboys. He also struggled in pass protection, a chore that was largely expected to fall on injured third-down back Andre Brown.

---Running back Shane Vereen was placed on short-term injured reserve by the New England Patriots with a wrist injury. The Patriots confirmed the transaction and added tight end Matthew Mulligan to the 53-man roster. Vereen led the Patriots with a career-high 101 rushing yards Sunday at Buffalo. He played a greater role because starter Stevan Ridley was benched. Vereen's designation to return from injured reserve leaves open the option of him being activated after the Patriots bye in Week 10.

---The Pittsburgh Steelers plan to give Isaac Redman another start at running back at Cincinnati on Monday night despite Redman's struggles in the team's 16-9 opening-week loss to Tennessee. Coach Mike Tomlin tabbed Redman as the starter during his weekly news conference on Tuesday, offering him another chance after a brutal performance in the opener. The fourth-year back carried eight times for nine yards against the Titans while fumbling twice. The entire team managed just 32 rushing yards. Redman and Le'Veon Bell are listed as co-starters this week on the depth chart, but Bell has yet to practice and is recovering from a sprained foot.

---New England Patriots wide receiver Danny Amendola is "almost certain" to miss Thursday night's home opener against the New York Jets because of a groin injury, according to NFL.com. Amendola had been bothered by the injury during the preseason and aggravated it during the first half of Sunday's victory over the Buffalo Bills. Amendola went to the locker room but returned in the second half and was the Patriots' leading receiver with 10 receptions. Meanwhile, tight end Rob Gronkowski did not participate in Tuesday's walk-through practice and is expected to be listed as doubtful for Thursday's game.

---The NFL will issue no punishment to the New York Giants after the league reviewed whether Giants players Dan Connor and Cullen Jenkins deliberately tried to slow the Dallas Cowboys offense by faking injuries, ESPN reported Tuesday. The league had distributed a memo to teams last week saying teams that feign injuries to impede an opposing offense would be subject to discipline. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and quarterback Tony Romo suggested the Giants violated the league policy in Sunday's game.

--The best news for the Washington Redskins the day after losing the regular-season opener to the Philadelphia Eagles was that Pro Bowl outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan, who was their best player during preseason and set up their only touchdown of the first 44:53 in the opener, doesn't have a concussion. The Redskins feared Kerrigan suffered a concussion because he experienced symptoms of a head injury during Philadelphia's penultimate series when he sustained a blow to the head that he said was "a little more jarring" than usual. Kerrigan, who was credited with eight tackles and a sack in addition to the forced fumble, passed all concussion tests on Tuesday and is expected to practice on Wednesday.

--The Buffalo Bills added free agent cornerback Johnny Adams to the team's 53-man roster from the practice squad on Tuesday, filling a void in a secondary that's already dealing with two injuries. Cornerback Ron Brooks broke his foot in Sunday's season-opening loss to New England and underwent surgery Tuesday. Fellow cornerback Stephon Gilmore is recovering from a broken hand, leaving the team with just four healthy cornerbacks prior to Adams' promotion.

---San Francisco 49ers tight end-defensive tackle Demarcus Dobbs was taken off the reserve/suspended list and added to the active roster, the team announced Tuesday. To make room on the roster, fullback-defensive tackle Will Tukuafu was waived. Dobbs was suspended in August for the season opener by the NFL for a violation of the league's substance abuse policy. He was eligible to return to the roster this week.

---Each of the two NFL games that aired on NBC last week drew more than 25 million viewers, the first time a network has gotten that large of an audience twice in one week since the 2012 London Olympics. Sunday night's game between the New York Giants and the Dallas Cowboys drew 25.4 million viewers to become the most-watched prime time show of the week, according to the official national numbers released by The Nielsen Company. The Thursday Night NFL season opener between the Denver Broncos and the defending Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens averaged 25.1 million viewers to finish second in the week's ratings.